Kyle Chilton | Posted: 15 Oct 2010 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020

Remember When...

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Click to watch the video.

Starting on Friday, Oct. 15, BYUCougars.com will remember some of the great moments, players and events in BYU basketball history. A new installment to the series will be posted every weekday until the 2010-11 men’s basketball season opener against Fresno State on Nov. 12.

Remember When... Danny Ainge Beat the Buzzer and the Irish in the NCAA Tournament?

Danny Ainge set the standard for greatness for BYU men’s basketball. During his four-year career as a Cougar, Ainge was a national player of the year, a Consensus All-American, a two-time first-team Academic All-American, the WAC Player of the Year and a four-time All-WAC selection. He set an NCAA record with 112 consecutive games scoring in double digits and broke the BYU and WAC all-time scoring records with 2,467 points.

In 1981, Ainge made one of the most memorable plays in BYU men’s basketball history. With 1:14 to play against Notre Dame in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, BYU won a jump ball and Greg Ballif hit a jumper that gave the Cougars a 49-48 lead. Notre Dame answered when Kelly Tripuka hit a jumper with nine seconds remaining to give the Fighting Irish a one-point advantage. After a BYU timeout, Ainge took the inbounds pass and dribbled past four Notre Dame defenders and scored over Orlando Woolridge for the victory.

CLICK HERE for more information on Ainge’s career at BYU.

CLICK HERE for Ainge’s Cougar Club Hall of Fame Bio.

CLICK HERE to watch Ainge's coast-to-coast shot on YouTube.

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